Chapter 965: The Colossal Mirror

Chapter 965: Chapter 965: The Colossal Mirror

As night fell over Unzan Port, a tense atmosphere gripped the temporary stronghold of the Germa Kingdom. Inside the grand central keep of the Vinsmoke family, a strange, three-meter-tall machine stood prominently in the center of the hall. The device radiated a sleek, highly advanced technological aura, its internal gears turning smoothly with a low, mechanical hum.

Vinsmoke Judge sat upon his throne, his face shadowed with intense gravity. "The Big Mom Pirates’ fleet suffered a catastrophic defeat at the Fernal Archipelago," he declared, his voice heavy. "Even Charlotte Cracker, one of the Three Sweet Commanders, was forced to retreat with severe injuries."

"Big Mom is absolutely furious. She is already preparing a sudden retaliatory strike against the Clifford Kingdom, and she expects us to coordinate our actions with her."

By the end of his statement, Judge’s voice carried a trace of lingering disbelief regarding the news. Deep down, a faint spark of regret was beginning to take root, regret over ever aligning himself with the Big Mom Pirates.

"A massive fleet led by a Sweet Commander was utterly routed in less than a single day, sustaining over ten thousand casualties without capturing so much as a single island in the archipelago. Should I conclude that the Chris Pirates are simply too monstrous, or that the Big Mom Pirates are pathetic?" Ichiji sneered, setting his wine glass down with a look of unvarnished contempt.

"Losing one of their absolute peak combatants to severe injuries in the very first clash means the Big Mom Pirates’ top-tier strength is already compromised. If a full-scale war breaks out between both sides in the near future..." Reiju’s brow furrowed, her voice tinged with a dark solemnity. "Even if Big Mom manages to personally strike down that man, the Big Mom Pirates will likely find their overall strength permanently crippled."

"Who gives a damn?!"

Yonji waved his hand dismissively, a feral, vicious grin stretching across his face as he barked, "If it’s a fight they want, we fight!"

"Things have already gone this far; there’s no turning back now. Even if we’re facing the Chris Pirates, the soldiers of Germa do not fear war," Niji added, his voice cutting through the room like ice.

"Perhaps... it might not be too late to change course..." Reiju began, cutting herself off halfway as her eyes drifted toward Judge.

Hearing her words, a flash of internal conflict and deep hesitation flickered across Judge’s face.

Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...

Suddenly, the abrupt trill of a Den Den Mushi shattered the silence. The siblings jolted slightly, their eyes instinctively darting to the round table next to Judge’s throne. A large Den Den Mushi with long eyelashes and prominent, bright red lips was vibrating violently.

It was the dedicated line reserved exclusively for Big Mom. ℯ

"Big Mom..."

Judge’s expression hardened. After a moment of heavy hesitation, he reached out and lifted the receiver with a sharp clack.

"This is Judge."

Meanwhile, in the waters not far from the Germa Kingdom, a sleek, jet-black submarine measuring roughly seventy meters in length lay silently submerged about a hundred meters below the ocean surface. Emblazoned squarely on its starboard hull was a skull insignia framed by crossed cutlasses.

Inside the vessel’s largest crew quarters, Millie sat cross-legged on her bunk, her eyes tightly shut. To an outside observer, she appeared to be in a deep state of meditation; in reality, she was using her heightened perceptions to monitor every single movement within the Germa Kingdom.

Judge and his children are all gathered together... As expected, Germa really has thrown their lot in with the Big Mom Pirates. Trying to back out now? It won’t be that easy...

Utilizing the unique abilities of her Sense-Sense Fruit, Millie could hear the Vinsmoke family’s council with absolute clarity.

Because the Sense-Sense Fruit allowed her to perceive every minute kinetic disturbance within her range, she could capture the microscopic vibrations that speech created in the air. By deciphering these atmospheric pulses, she was effectively "listening" to the innermost strategic meetings of the Vinsmoke line.

Judge and his brilliant engineers had fully anticipated potential surveillance and had custom-built electromagnetic jammers specifically designed to neutralize Enel’s Mantra. Yet, their preparations were entirely useless against Millie, leaving their most sensitive military secrets completely exposed to her radar.

A triumphant smile graced Millie’s beautiful face. Without opening her eyes, she reached out across her desk with perfect accuracy, lifting a crystal goblet. The deep crimson wine swirled gently within the transparent glass, releasing a rich, intoxicating bouquet.

"Rodecon Royal Wine truly lives up to its reputation as a legendary vintage. Every bottle opened is one less left in the world," Millie murmured, inhaling the fragrance with a look of pure bliss before taking a delicate sip.

Knowing that this prolonged espionage mission would be incredibly taxing, she had intentionally raided Aeridar’s private cellar to claim this exquisite vintage as her personal compensation.

Suddenly, Millie’s eyes snapped wide open. The color instantly drained from her face, and her hand trembled so violently that the priceless wine splashed across her bedding.

"Damn it! There’s no time!"

In a panic, Millie cast the expensive goblet aside, letting it shatter against the steel floor with a sharp crash. She lunged across the bed, frantically grabbing her Den Den Mushi to dial out.

Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...

"Pick up! Pick up! Please, pick up the phone!"

As the ringing tone droned on, Millie’s heart burned with agonizing anxiety, the seconds feeling like an eternity as she repeatedly muttered the words under her breath.

Clack.

"This is Backan."

A few grueling seconds later, the line connected, and Mountain Axe Backan’s booming voice echoed from the shell.

Millie didn’t waste a single syllable on pleasantries, screaming into the receiver with sheer panic coloring her voice: "Deploy the defensive grid immediately! Big Mom is about to launch a sudden assault on Unzan Port right now—!"

At that exact moment, in the Whole Cake Island sector of Totto Land...

"Bring out the specially prepared mirror. That is all that will be required."

Inside Whole Cake Chateau, Big Mom spoke into her Den Den Mushi, her expression entirely blank and detached. Standing directly before her was a colossal mirror towering a staggering fifteen meters in height.

Gathered around the hall was the absolute core of the Charlotte Family. At the forefront stood Charlotte Katakuri, whose recent battlefield injuries had completely healed, alongside his fellow Sweet Commander, Smoothie. Surrounding them were the eldest son Perospero, the third son Daifuku, the fourth son Oven, the eldest daughter Compote, the second daughter Amande, and a vast assembly of core family officers.

Behind them stood the outer circle executives and allied captains, including Baron Tamago, Pekoms, "The Debt Collector" Bobbin, Capone Bege, and "Knight of the Sea" Jinbe.

With dozens of powerful siblings from the Charlotte bloodline, numerous high-ranking enforcement officers, and several subordinate pirate captains, the assembly easily approached a hundred formidable combatants.

The true, terrifying depth of a Yonko crew, the Big Mom Pirates, was on full display.

Clack.

The moment Big Mom disconnected the call, a stifling, absolute silence descended upon the packed hall. This gathering of legendary monsters stood perfectly still, waiting for the curtain to rise on a war that would shake the foundations of the world.

Suddenly, Katakuri raised his eyes, turning his gaze toward Brulee, who was standing anxiously beside the massive mirror. "Brulee," he spoke up, his voice calm but piercing, "can your stamina truly handle transporting a force of this scale over such a massive distance?"

The voyage from the heart of Totto Land to Brady Island, where the Clifford Kingdom was situated, normally required nearly ten days of continuous sailing. Undertaking a long-range transit through the Mirro-World of this magnitude was something Brulee had never attempted before.

Furthermore, Brulee would not just be anchoring the weight of the executives present in the hall; outside the castle gates, tens of thousands of soldiers making up the Enraged Army were organized and waiting for deployment.

Consequently, Katakuri had reservation as to whether Brulee possessed the sheer physical endurance required to sustain a long-range Mirro-World transit for an entire army.

"He’s right, Brulee. You are the lynchpin of this entire operation. Do not dare to fail me when it matters most," Big Mom growled, her massive head lowering as she narrowed her eyes into a menacing glare.

Cowering slightly beneath Big Mom’s terrifying aura, Brulee stammered out a hasty reassurance. "H-Have no fear, Mama! Katakuri-niisan! If you asked me to pull every single soul through the Mirro-World in a single transit over this distance, I wouldn’t be confident. But if we break the deployment into successive waves, I can absolutely manage it!"

"At the very least, with you as the vanguard alongside my elder brothers and sisters, you will easily buy me more than enough time to recover my strength on the other side!"

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